


Nailing Jell-O to a Tree

by Aeiouna



Category: Guardians of the Galaxy (Movies)
Genre: Gen, Team as Family
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-22
Updated: 2014-12-22
Packaged: 2018-03-02 20:46:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,030
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2825603
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aeiouna/pseuds/Aeiouna
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Peter Quill and Gamora: Fighters, Guardians, Pilots... Parents?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Nailing Jell-O to a Tree

**Author's Note:**

  * For [failsafe](https://archiveofourown.org/users/failsafe/gifts).



> Title comes from a quote I read: "Raising teenagers is like nailing Jell-O to a tree." Rocket and Drax are kinda like teenagers in a way, so I thought the quote worked.

They were like children, Peter mused. Adult freaking children, and it was Peter's job to see to it that they acted like the adults he knew they were. Except Gamora. She was much more mature than the others, and he appreciated that. She was able to help him keep the others in line, something he knew he couldn't do alone. Whether it was carrying Rocket out of a museum so he didn't steal every artifact in the building or talking Drax down from "shoot first, ask questions later" during a raid, Peter and Gamora had their work cut out for them.

Peter slumped in the cockpit of the Milano after a mission that was two parts actual mission and three parts running around keeping Rocket and Drax in line. He rubbed his face and shook his head, ready to stick this thing on autopilot and fall asleep. A hand on his shoulder startled him and he jumped up suddenly, his fight or flight response defaulting to "fight". His head whipped around behind him to find Gamora chuckling before taking her place in the copilot seat. He sank back down into his own chair. "Next time say something before you do that! I almost decked you!"

"I’m sorry, I’m sorry," Gamora said while still chuckling even though she did notice the look on Peter’s face. It was as though he was at his wit’s end. That couldn’t be good, "I did not mean to startle you. You look stressed, everything okay?"

"Yeah, just a little tired from this last mission. It was bad enough we had to deal with an entire planet's worth of problems, but also having to keep Rocket and Drax out of prison again? It was just bit too much for me. The only one we never have a problem with is Groot, and that's because all he knows how to do is stand around and say, 'I am Groot.'"

Gamora put a hand on his shoulder again, this time gentler so as not to startle. "Those two are a handful, but you're doing a great job of it. You really know what to say to keep them in line."

"Yeah, threats of prison work wonders to keep a man in check. But even so, I wouldn't be doing as good of a job at it without you, though," Peter said with a sly smile, "They're too much for one person alone, but when we tag team them it really works."

"Thank you," Gamora was pleased to hear her efforts in the so called fight to keep the rest of team on the right side of the law did not go unnoticed. She had felt lost, unappreciated, or downright hated most of her life, with no real family to call her own. (She would be damned if she were to ever call Thanos and Nebula her family.) Teaming up with Peter and the others made her feel like she belonged somewhere for the first time in her life. She was actually respected by the team, and they looked out for each other. 

"Gamora!" Peter waved a hand in front of her face, "Hey Gamora! Are you there?"

She was pulled from her thoughts and looked over. "Huh? What? Oh, Peter. Sorry, I guess I got caught up in my thoughts. So, what’s up?"

"Can you pilot for a bit, I'm gonna try to take a nap." This last mission had really done a number on Peter. He usually wasn't this drained afterwards, and was usually up to some games and food. But this time, all he wanted to do was sleep it off and not think about it. What was it about this one mission? Was it finally catching up to him that having to essentially parent 40% of his team was not the best of ideas, because this last time he came super close to pushing Rocket out the hatch of the Milano and leaving him to fend for himself, and that really wasn't like him. No, this was just a bad one because it left Rocket like a kid in a candy store, not all of them are this bad.

"Oh, oh sure. You get some rest, yeah," Gamora watched Peter head for the back of the ship before taking the helm. She worried about him sometimes. He tried so hard to act all macho because he was the leader of the team, and he tried so hard to keep everyone else in check and make sure that everyone else is taken care of that he tended to fail to take care of himself. She's realized there were times that she had to take care of him, too, but she didn't mind it. She's realized it's not a sign of weakness on his part, and that's what you do when you care about people.

Peter made his way to the back of the ship where his bed was, greeting Rocket and Drax, who were playing cards, as he passed them. Rocket invited him to join the next hand, but he declined saying he was going to get some sleep. He laid in bed and reached for his Walkman. It had become a ritual for him, listening to his mom's mixtapes before going to sleep. It reminded him of home and he always wondered if he'd ever be able to go back. Would he be able to tell people what he's been doing the last nearly 30 years? Would anyone believe him? He looked through the ship at his crew and realized that no, no one would believe he was traversing the universe, saving it from itself, with a green skinned trained assassin, a genetically modified raccoon, a walking and talking tree, and a blue skinned dude who kills for fun.

Nah, no one on Earth would believe him. He shook his head as he closed his eyes. But that didn't matter, because he knew he'd found a family in these people, and maybe it wasn't worth going back to Earth. Maybe this is his home now, his life now, and the other Guardians are his family now. He mused on that thought as he fell asleep.


End file.
